Related stories from Charlotte Observer

“I did a lot of Googling. I was trying to figure out ideas because I didn’t know where to start with it,” Hale said. “I was looking for colors, shapes, patterns, musical themes that I could paint.”

Impressive dedication

Hale said she didn’t really have a master plan when she started. She just waited for the inspiration for each instrument.

She said she enjoyed the violins and cellos most because the backs of them most closely mimic a flat canvas.

But the French horn was a different story.

“I repainted it like four times,” she said, noting the difficulty in painting the nooks and crannies of the twisted instrument.

Hale started by painting the instrument orange but wasn’t satisfied. She changed it to lime green.

“She said, ‘I’m walking away from this instrument. I’ll be back later,’ ” said Jessica Hale, Zoie’s mom. “It was good to see her doing something outside of what she’s comfortable with. Her dedication was impressive.”

Since Howren’s husband, Dennis, set up the instruments in the display case, Howren said at least two people have asked if the cello with the piano painted on it is for sale. She’s also noticed more people lingering in front of the store to check out the instruments.

“We are so grateful,” Howren said. “She just took it and ran with it and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. She was so creative.”